"Look who's awake!" her papa exclaimed when she dragged herself down to the kitchen. "Nice to have you home again."

"Oh, only one week and you've already grown so much!" her mother practically gushed.

There was absolutely no point in explaining that she was just as tall as she'd been when she left.

They'd had that discussion too many times already.

Somehow she always left feeling like they'd had two very different conversations...

Instead she smiled. "I missed you too."

Her papa pulled them both into a hug and with closed eyes she did her best to melt into it.

She was home again, but soon she'd once again leave and this time it wouldn't be for a one week trip.

Maybe next time the one week trip would be to Paris.

On paper it may seem like a few years abroad to study and then return.

In reality she'd already accepted that that probably wouldn't happen, because there was a very good chance that she wouldn't move back.

But for now she was enjoying the time with her parents.

Savouring it.

Who knew how often she'd get to see them after this?

"...and then Damian strolled in."

Her papa gaped. "No?!"

"Oh, yes." Flour flew around the room as she waved her arm. "That's when I found out that he's a Wayne. My client turned out to be his brother."

"What did you do?" His eyes were wide as he listened.

She kneaded the dough.

"Acted natural. They didn't even figure it out until I left." She let a smirk grow. " I hid money to cover the cafe bill in a flower pot."

"From the bet?"

"From the bet."

There would never come a day where she didn't enjoy that.

She'd one-upped him.

"I'm surprised he took it laying down," her papa mused as they put the bread into the oven.

A snort escaped her. "Laying down. Psh. He swore to get me back for it."

"And has he?"

"Nope."

"Not yet then."

"Not ever is more like it."

He chuckled. "We'll have to see about that. Now keep talking. Is he handsome?"

Her head tilted back and she squeezed her eyes shut. "Like you wouldn't believe."

"What is he on a scale of one to ten?"

"Solid thirteen. Easily." She looked him in the eyes. "And when he draws his face goes all focused and I literally can't decide if looking that good all the time should be legal."

Her mama laughed behind the till.

"Wait, he did what?"

Me: You're invited to dinner.

Damian: How did that happen?

Me: Can't it be because I thought it would be fun to have you over for a couple of hours?

Damian: You might be nice enough to do that, but you wouldn't until I'd at least met your parents beforehand.

Me: ?

Damian: You did have a minor freakout on the plane about the best way to deal with that introduction.

Me: I told my parents you're in town. They're all excited now.

Me: You remember everything I say when I ramble?

Damian: Of course.

Me: That's mortifying.

Damian: It is cute and informative. When should I come over?

"Your parents are geniuses."

That made both her and Tikki stop in their tracks.

Since when did Plagg compliment people without being snarky about it?

The black kwami still sat on the now empty plate on her desk where he'd plopped down when they'd begun unpacking.

"They put cheese into delicious cheezy pastries. They. Are. Geniuses." He licked his little hand, but zeroed in on her. "Do you know how to make those?"

"I'm starting to see why Sugarcube enjoys living with you so much."

"PLAGG!"

This evening would be interesting.

Her parents were going to love Damian without a doubt, but who knew what they'd get up to.

They were three of the most important people in her life.

Being nervous wasn't really a choice.

Here's for hoping they don't bring up the baby photos just yet.

"When are you introducing us?" Kagami asked her when she'd given the rundown of what was happening which included the surprise of having her boyfriend follow her to Europe.

"When I'm sure you won't challenge him to a duel."

She could hear Kagami mentally facepalm through the phone. "Never then."

How she managed that deadpan voice was beyond her.

It was the same voice Damian had perfected.

And Azalea could probably pull it off if she tried...

Was Luka the only one in her circle of friends that wasn't able to pull of the cold act?

Huh.

"What about tomorrow?" she pondered aloud. "I don't have to go in for school until Thursday and Luka gets off work at two..."

"Hmm. That should work," her friend agreed. "Are you still able to come tonight?"

"Marinette! Do you know where the macaroon order is?"

"Box beside the mixer. I put it there earlier."

Getting back into her routine had been a piece of cake.

...

Apparently puns were contagious.

Great.

Getting through the steps she'd done a million times was easy.

It was almost like that one week never happened.

Shouldn't it feel different?

Dreaming up the best week she could remember and Damian and Azalea and, well everything else, shouldn't be possible right?

Her phone still held all her new contacts.

They weren't a hallucination since her parents could see them too.

She'd checked.

And then their were all the photos and texts.

It had to be real.

Right?

Please, let it be real.

"Please, Plagg. Stop laughing."

Somehow the day passed by without her noticing and Damian was knocking on the door.

She made haste and managed to trip twice on her way to the door.

"Hi," became the only intelligent response she could give, but he still smiled.

She smiled too because he was real even if it wasn't usually that easy to make him smile.

Did she have something on her face?

"Marinette," he greeted her and then she couldn't help herself anymore.

She pulled him into a hug.

By some miracle he didn't buckle under her weight suddenly being thrown at him.

Her face was smushed into his shoulder. "You're real. Everything's real."

"You thought I was not?" His eyebrows burrowed.

She groaned.

In hindsight she might have overreacted just a tiny bit.

"Don't ask."

"Should I be worried?" He let her go so she could collect herself. "You've questioned the validity of me being a dream or a manifestation of your imagination twice now."

It would probably happen again.

She knew herself well enough to know that.

A cough interrupted them.

Her parents were watching them with gigantic smiles all over their faces and she had no idea when they'd gotten there.

Damian didn't seem surprised though.

"Hello. You must be Marinette's parents. I'm Damian Wayne."

It was a perfectly scripted introduction.

Her parents probably wouldn't realise how awkward it was when compared to the Damian she'd come to know.

There was no way that was unplanned.

None at all.

It told her how much this meant to him that he was trying so hard.

He could be a real sweetheart sometimes.

"I'm Sabine and that is-"

"Tom." Her papa immediately began herding her boyfriend into the kitchen. "We've been looking forward to meeting you. Marinette has told us so much about you already. You like chocolate, right? Then you'll love the cake we've made for dessert. It's very versatile and can be used in, I don't know, wedding cakes for an example, but of course if-"

"PAPA!"

Her face was burning and her mama was laughing.

Why did she have to get her rambling from her papa?

Her mama leaned in. "You're right. He's definitely a thirteen."

And for the first time she got a front row seat to see Damian stumble on thin air.

He'd obviously heard that.

This visit was going to kill her.